Less than a week shy of his 30th birthday, Brandon Weeden is trying to reinvent himself as an NFL quarterback.
Weeden is working this week on getting the ball out of his right hand more quickly, something easier said on Wednesday than done on Sunday when 21 other players are running around inside FirstEnergy Stadium.
“There are a million different ways, but whether it’s the design of the play, getting off the first progression faster, presnap reads as far as maybe eliminating half the field or seeing pressure and finding your back — there are a lot of different ways to go about it.” Weeden said before practice Wednesday. “It just depends on the play.
“There are times you’re going to have to sit back and hold it because you might have a double move or you might have a deeper route. That goes to the confidence I have in the guys up front and goes from there.”
Next up for the Browns are the Detroit Lions and their version of a fearsome foursome led by intimidating defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh has two and rookie Ezekiel Ansah has 3 1/2 of Detroit’s 10 sacks.
Weeden has been sacked 16 times in three games. At that rate, he’ll be dumped more than 70 times if he makes it through the final 11 games upright.
Brian Hoyer was sacked six times in parts of three games, including two he started before a knee injury ended his season.
There is a reason for the disparity in sacks: According to ESPN Stats and Information, Hoyer was passing the ball 2.8 seconds after taking the snap. Weeden holds onto it for 4.3 seconds.
One-and-a-half seconds is an eternity when a defensive end such as Ansah runs a 10-yard split in 1.62 seconds as he did at the NFL Combine in February. Possessing such speed is why Ansah, 6-foot-5, 271 pounds, was the first defensive lineman taken in the draft. The Lions took Ansah fifth overall, one pick before the Browns drafted linebacker Barkevious Mingo.
Whether Hoyer learned pocket presence playing behind Tom Brady for three years or whether he has it instinctively doesn’t matter at the moment because Hoyer won’t be playing anymore this season. What does matter is Coach Rob Chudzinski says it can be developed. The Browns are trying to get Weeden to that point, because even though he is on the brink of 30, he is still in just his second NFL season with only 17 pro football starts on his resume.
“(Getting the ball out quicker) is a point of emphasis,” Chudzinski said at his Wednesday news conference. “It’s something to work on and I think he’ll get better at it.”
Chudzinski said Weeden grew during the two games he missed while his sprained thumb mended and he watched Hoyer win twice. Throughout his days at Santa Fe High School in Edmond, Okla., and at Oklahoma State, Weeden was always the star athlete.
“I think it’s been a learning experience for him,” Chudzinski said. “You look at being the starter, getting injured and having to sit and watch; and then get thrown into the (Buffalo) game early in the game where he didn’t get a lot of practice time; getting booed; back and forth; and him ultimately making some big plays that helped us win that game...
“I think that’s growth, and I think that he has a sense of confidence of what he’s been able to do. We’ll get him back out there for another week of practice, and I think that will help him get better and get ready to play even more so.”
Weeden took over last Thursday night after Hoyer, who is from North Olmsted, was injured and the Browns were already down, 7-0. His first passes were incomplete and the fans let him hear what they thought about him being back after his 0-2 start in the first two games.
“Obviously, I heard them, but I personally think we have the best fans in the National Football League,” Weeden said. “You don’t want to hear those, but I think if you can make a couple throws and put a couple drives together, hopefully you turn those into cheers.”
Ironically, more pressure is on Weeden now than at the beginning of the season because the Browns are in first place five games into the season for the first time since 1995. They have won three straight and will match their longest winning streak of the expansion era if they beat Detroit. They won the last four games in 2009 to finish 5-11.
“Our main focus is keep doing what we’re doing and keep it rolling,” Weeden said. “Our focus is on Detroit and then whoever we’re playing next (at Green Bay). Just keep taking it week to week. That’s what we’ve done really the last five weeks. We’ve stayed within the week.
“That goes back to Chud. Chud does an unbelievable job of keeping us really dialed in each and every week and focused on what’s in front of us.”

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About the Author

Jeff has covered the Cleveland Browns since 1981. He also covers the Lake Erie Monsters of the American Hockey League and the Cleveland Gladiators in the Arena Football League. Reach the author at jschudel@morningjournal.com
or follow Jeff on Twitter: @JSBrownsInsider.